144 



EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



Analyses of "Muds," 



Constituents. 



Moisture 



Organic and volatile matter 



Insoluble matter, sand and clay . . 



Oxide of iron and alumina 



Lime(CaO) 



Magnesia (MgO) 



Potash (K.>0} 



SodaiNajO).. 



Silica (SiOj). . . 



Phosphoric acid (P.iOj).. 



Carbonic acid, &c., undetermined 



Nitrogen 



•409 



•294 



As regards potash and phosphoric acid, neither of these specimens exceeds in 

 richness ordinary fertile soils ; in fact by reference to the table on page 131 in the pre- 

 sent report, it will be seen that the}' possess amounts under, rather than above, the 

 average found in representative viigin soils. In nitrogen, the river mud is fairly rich, 

 the percentage equalling that found in the most fertile soils. To light, sandy soils 

 that contain in the neighbourhood of '1 per cent nitiogen, this mud would act bene- 

 ficially. The mussel mad possesses about two-ihirds of the amount of nitrogen present 

 in the river mud. The carbonate of lime, derived from the mussel shells, amounts to 

 ;^8 per cent. 



WOOD-ASHES. 



It may not be amiss to again call the attention of farmers to the fact that the 

 percentage of soluble or available pota^h even in the most fertile soils, is extremely 

 small, and further, that without rational treatment the successive growth of crops 

 more or less depletes this store. 



When the produce of the land is fed upon the farm, nearly 80 per cent of the 

 plant food withdrawn from the soil by the crops is returned in the manure and thus 

 fertility maintained. When, however, the produce is sold, and no concomitant 

 return made, the effect of continuous crojDpings must be to leave the land poorer 

 and more particularly so in its available nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. 

 According to the degree to which this latter style of farming is indulged in, so raust 

 these fertilizers brought from outside sources be added to the soil. 



Leaving out of consideration for the present bai-nyard manure and muck de- 

 posits — which do but return to the soil what has been more immediately taken from 

 it — we may inquire from what outside, but Canadian sources, these valuable and 

 necessary elements for plant nourishment can be obtained. Phosphoric acid for 

 ages to come can be got from our apatite deposits, nitrogen is made available from 

 the atmosphere through the agency of the leguminosse (pease, clover, &c.) a compa- 

 ratively rapid process, but of potash Canada has, as far as we know, no natural 

 deposits save those which are stored in the trees of her forests. 



In wood-ashes are the mineral or inorganic constituents which the trees bj^ a 

 slow, life-long process have taken from the soil — and chief among these is potash. 

 As a special fertilizer for supplying potash, wood-ashes are of the greatest import- 

 ance to the Canadian farmer. Nor should it be forgotten that they are also valuable 

 for phosphoric acid, lime and other inorganic plant food, which they furnish in 

 notable quantities. 



The following analysis, made dui-ing the past year, of an excellent sample for- 

 warded from Williamston, N. S., is now given. Analyses of flue-ashes and of the 

 ashes of oat hulls have also been made and are here stated in tabular form, for the 

 sake of comparison : 



